Send "No Age " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 It might seem presumptuous to make such a claim, but No Age has already become something of an indie rock institution in a mere five years of existence. Although the elder statesmen tag might never apply to these all-ages boosters, Randy Randall and Dean Spunt are definitely leaders of the neo-garage rock revival, boasting a brash iconoclasm and a resourceful ambition that have made the very most out of working with a bare-bones formula of guitar, drums, samplers, and vocals. On a more local scale, the two are hometown heroes for putting the L.A. lo-fi scene on the map, the most prominent success story to come out of the Smell DIY art collective. But more than anything else, No Age has pretty much perfected a distinctive sound that is easily identifiable as something all its own, but with enough room to grow, which bodes well for the duo’s long-term posterity.From the pounding noise that ushers in the group’s third album Everything in Between, No Age seems intent on firming up its reputation by doing what it’s been doing all along, just maybe a little better. Far from being the same ol’ same ol’, Everything in Between expands on No Age’s combo of brutal melody and simple experimentation in ways that are thrilling and provocative even as they’ve become familiar. That’s not to say there aren’t a few new wrinkles on Everything in Between, but they’re more like adjustments rather than an overhaul of something that has worked pretty well so far. Though it’s way too early to tell, the best comparisons for how No Age goes about its business are probably Sonic Youth and Superchunk, considering how Randall and Spunt create inspired variations on more or less the same theme. On Everything in Between, No Age makes no apologies for sticking to its trashy, thrashy art-rock aesthetic: As Randall told the LA Weekly recently, “If you get the opportunity to hear us, and you like this kind of thing, then you’ll be into it. Either you are or you aren’t.” The leadoff track “Life Prowler” works from this premise, grabbing hold of its listener’s attention with pile-driving beats, which give way to an almost meditative guitar line that’s the calm middle of a sonic shit-storm. It’s the reverse negative of “Miner”, the opener on 2008’s Nouns, which starts with steely sheets of guitar effects before hammer-like rhythms pound their way to the fore and mess things up. Indeed, No Age’s go-to move is the way it squeezes every last drop of melody out of abrasive, crude noise with a vise-like grip, best evidenced on “Glitter”, which manages to create something tuneful and gleaming from the collision of loping guitars, ear-splitting feedback, and syncopated handclaps....full text |
| Guardian |
| For everything LA post-punk duo No Age lack in subtlety, they more than make up for with an innate understanding of dynamics. Sounding in places like Sonic Youth, Everything in Between – the follow-up to 2008's critically lauded Nouns – constantly explores the relationship between melodic immediacy and primal blasts of noise. First single Glitter starts like a lo-fi My Sharona before being enveloped by shards of guitar squall, while the lovely Chem Trails rolls along nicely before firecrackers explode beneath a noodly guitar solo. Elsewhere, the visceral Fever Dreaming is juxtaposed with the percussive jangle of the Deerhunteresque Common Heat and a handful of abstract instrumentals help create texture on an album that relies mainly on a visceral relationship between drums and guitar. Dean Allen Spunt's fairly blank vocals may have trouble conveying anything other than a downcast shrug, but musically, Everything in Between manages to run the full gamut....full text |
| Bbc |
| This latest offering marks a momentous point in No Age’s career: it’s carry on paddling or make a huge splash time. Their 2007 debut-of-sorts Weirdo Rippers, which collected single and EP tracks, and its follow-up Nouns, released just a year later, were enjoyable romps through the joys of noise but hardly left an impact. Everything in Between, however, shows that the Los Angeles duo have not only been seriously exploring experimentation, but it also sees them hone a new-found ear for infectious melodies. It’s a dizzying combination when done well, as it is here. So it’s all change from the off, as Life Prowler’s buzzing guitars and thumped drums build and build into a thoroughly epic opener filled with grace, melancholy and beauty – three striking new developments in the No Age sound. Glitter continues with this eerie atmosphere, albeit with the occasional screeching riff thrown in. By the time the Dinosaur Jr.-esque Fever Dreaming is unleashed, Everything in Between has really kicked off, this furious, ferocious and frenetic track seriously picking up the pace of the record. Just when you think you’ve got them pegged, of course, No Age morph again. Depletion, Common Heat and Skinned are thrillingly catchy, the latter’s crunchy rhythms and numerous key changes making it a real high point. But Katerpillar is the first of four dreamy instrumental efforts, the last of which, Positive Amputation, features a piano and brooding Mogwai-isms. Nobody saw that one coming. And these bold forays into new territories continue right up until the record’s final breath of Chem Trails, which features guitars that sigh with longing and a call-and-response exchange from riff-man Randy Randall and drummer Dean Allan Spunt that works incredibly well....full text |
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